What is an ePortfolio

? Embarking on a journey to define eportfolio, one will encounter numerous definitions. These definitions include words such as reflection, collection, tracking, achievement, competency, career tracking, resumes, academic achievement, highlighting - to name a few.

For the purposes of this portal, we define eportfolio as:

An eportfolio can be a web-based information management system that uses electronic media and services. The learner builds and maintains a digital repository of artifacts, which they can use to demonstrate competence and reflect on their learning. Having access to their records, digital repository, feedback and reflection students can achieve a greater understanding of their individual growth, career planning and CV building. Accreditation for prior and/or extra-curricular experiences and control over access makes the eportfolio a powerful tool.(ePortfolio Australia, n.d.)

And we would add that:

"If your view of portfolios is just something akin to a content management system, don't bother. But if it's the student's personal and continuing presence in an online community of discourse, then you are on to something."(Downes, 2004)

You may have heard of the term webfolios. There is a difference however, between eportfolios and webfolios. Since the mid-90s, the term eportfolio has been used to describe collections of student work at a Web site. Within the field of composition studies, the term "webfolio" has also been used. In this portal, we are using the current, general meaning of the term, which is a dynamic web site that interfaces with a database of student work artifacts. Webfolios are static Web sites where functionality derives from HTML links. ePortfolio therefore, now refers to database-driven, dynamic web sites, not static, HTML-driven sites.(Batson, 2002)

The History of ePortfolios Since the early 1990s the term 'electronic portfolio' (eportfolio) has been described in a range of ways, with most recognizing the primary role of information and communications technologies in describing the "e".

Common to most definitions is an assumed continuity of purpose with paper-based student portfolios that have been used as documented evidence of achievement and intended as a means for assessment (of competencies and understanding). More recent definitions also recognize the diversity of electronic formats and the complexity of determining the boundaries of eportfolios, for example, where runtime multimedia applications are implicated as well as reliance on hyperlinked documents or applications, as well as ongoing incremental development.

In education and training contexts, eportfolios are learner-centered and outcomes-based. They are created when individuals selectively compile evidence of their own electronic activities and output as a means to indicate what they have learned or know. In this sense, eportfolios function as a learning record or transcript. But given their developmental character, eportfolios function as both an archive and a developmental repository that is used for learning management and reflections purposes.

As a means for general credentialing, eportfolios are also being used as a means for extending the standard text-based curriculum vitae. There are also some commonly agreed exclusions to what information might properly form an eportfolio, such as medical records, government records (including possible criminal activity), and financial records or profiles (AICTEC, n.d

ePortfolios have continued to evolve for many years. As they evolve they become valued in the systems for which they were designed.

Studentsstart an eportfolio and include completed work,

include reflection and information pertinent to their studies

As time evolves and they continue their education, they move from using an eportfolio to study from and review,to tailor their CV for perspective employersto demonstrate their competency in various areas

Facultyuse an eportfolio asa tool to create their CV as wellhighlight their publicationsreview student eportfoliosand act as a mentor to the student

As time evolves and faculty continues to support the use of eportfolios, more integration of eportfolios with academic recording and sharing will evolve too.

Uses of the eportfolio continue to become creative and accepted as we will demonstrate in our next section.

Corporations are now becoming interested in the use and integration of eportfolios and their interoperability with existing systems to assist in the professional development of their employees.

Benefits of an ePortfolio

According to Dr. Helen C. Barrett at UAA, a national expert on eportfolios, "electronic portfolios are much more than innovative resumes or scrapbooks". According to Barrett, eportfolios show "reflection, evolution of thought, and professional development".(Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology, 2002)

We've reached a critical mass. As we reach electronic saturation, new norms of work are emerging. Arising out of this critical mass is a vision of how educational institutions can benefit, which is with the eportfolio.

We seem to be beginning a new wave of technology development in education. There is a push to free student work from paper and to make it

Studentincreased learning effectivenessmodel professionalismenhance information technology skillsgain academic credit for learning beyond the classroomreflections on artifacts as well as how they match goals and standardshelp students make connections among their formal and informal learning experiencesprompt learners to articulate their learning goals from different perspectivesallow individuals to display learning in ways overlooked or undervalued by other assessment means

Facultyleverage student motivationalign objectives and evaluation strategiesallow for more fruitful advisingenable the efficient management of student deliverables in distance coursesenhance relationships among eportfolio creators and mentors

Institutionsrespond to calls for greater accountability and outcomes-based accreditationtransportability of creditsincrease transparency for evaluation and benchmarking

Meaningful Uses for an ePortfolio We've identified three meaningful uses for eportfolios. These uses are broken down bystudent,faculty, andemployee

StudentThe eportfolio is a repository of their learning. It allows a student to create a system of tracking their work over time with students and faculty reflecting on it (Batson, 2002).

FacultyThe development of an eportfolio by faculty as described by Campbell, Melenyzer, Nettles and Wyman (2000) is "an organized collection of complex, performance-based evidence that indicates one's growth, goals, and current knowledge and skills needed to be competent in a role or area of expertise" (p.151, cited in Heath & Cockerham, 2001, 2). The content in an eportolio includes arésumé,statement of teaching philosophy, andreflective tools to demonstrate professional growth

EmployeesSimilar to the use by faculty, the focus by employees is to demonstrate skills and competence in areas related to their field of work or expertise.

Use over timeHow do the meaningful uses of an eportfolio translate over time? Let's see.

StudentThe organized presentation of their material allows a student to submit work, allow faculty to comment on it, enable to student to review it and aggregate the information over a semester and eventually an academic career. In turn, when the student graduates and applies for a job, the eportfolio provides an employer with relevant information about the potential employee.

FacultyThe eportfolio of faculty documents their teaching and accomplishments which can later be used for tenure, promotions, and entering or re-entering the job market.

EmployeeFor an employee the eportfolio demonstrates meaningful evidence of the employee's skills and professional development. The employer will have a better tool with which to assess the employee's communication skills, organizational skills, creativity, and initiative.

Types of ePortfolios There are three types of eportfolios: developmental, assessment, and showcase.

Developmental ePortfolios. Demonstrate the advancement and development of student skills over a period of time. Developmental portfolios are considered works-in-progress and include both self-assessment and reflection/feedback elements. The primary purpose is to provide communication between students and faculty.

Assessment ePortfolios. Demonstrate student competence and skill for well-defined areas. These may be end-of-course or program assessments primarily for evaluating student performance. The primary purpose is to evaluate student competency as defined by program standards and outcomes.

Showcase ePortfolios. Demonstrate exemplary work and student skills. This type of eportfolio is created at the end of a program to highlight the quality of student work. Students typically show this portfolio to potential employers to gain employment at the end of a degree program.

Hybrids. Most eportfolios are hybrids of the three types of eportfolios listed above. Rarely will you find an eportfolio that is strictly used for assessment, development, or showcase purposes. Occasionally, you may come across showcase eportfolios that do not show evidence of self-reflection, rubrics for assessment, or feedback; however, as Helen Barrett, an expert in the field of eportfolios, would say, "A portfolio without standards, goals and/or reflection is just a fancy résumé, not an electronic portfolio" (Barrett, 1999, p.56).

Preparing an ePortfolio The following is a four-step process to preparing an eportfolio.

1. CollectElectronically store your work in one place. It is preferable to have it in an online archive so that you will have one place where you can go to find your work. This collection will also allow you to see your work, your progress, and your development over time.

2. SelectSelect key materials from your collection that you believe best demonstrate your achievements. You will design a website to showcase this work creatively.

3. ReflectWrite a reflection about your work. Reflection is a deliberate attempt to examine the act of learning and to document your learning. When you reflect on your learning, you are thinking critically about your total learning experience and drawing connections between a body of knowledge and its applications carefully.

4. ConnectUse your eportfolio to make personally meaningful connections between your academic, service, community, and work experiences. The eportfolio will serve as a showcase for your very best work, documenting your growth and change over time.(LaGuardia Community College, n.d.)

e-Portfolio Basics: What to include in an e-portfolio

A portfolio should include the following elements:

Student Information: name, contact information, major, graduation date, etc. Table of Contents: or various way to display links to contents of the portfolio Learner Goals Curricular standards and/or criteria: used to align the contents of the portfolio to institutional, departmental or course curriculum (often accomplished by rubrics) Rubrics: can be used to assess student work. A rubric is a criteria-rating scale, which provides the instructor with a tool to track student performance. They also inform students of the course/departmental/institutional expectations. Guidelines: used to select appropriate artifacts to keep the collection from growing haphazardly Artifacts: examples of student work including documents, images, video, audio, etc. (can be chosen by student, instructor or both) Instructor feedback Self-reflection pieces: a portfolio without reflections is just a multimedia presentation or an electronic resume